Tax office takes $28.5m bite out of Apple

Georgia Wilkins, Ben Butler

APPLE AUSTRALIA has been hit with a $28.5 million bill for back taxes, statements lodged with the corporate regulator in April show.

News of the Tax Office bill comes as European governments put global technology companies under intense pressure over their complex ownership structures that rely heavily on a network of tax havens.

Apple's Australian arm reaped $4.9 billion in revenue last year through the sale of its computers, iPads and iPhones. The bill takes its total tax tab for the year ending September 24, 2011, to $94.7 million.

Apple declined to comment on the tax bill and it is illegal for the ATO to comment on individual cases.

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According to company documents filed with Australian, European and Asian authorities, the Australian arms of Apple, Google and eBay are part of complex networks of subsidiaries, held by their US parents through intermediary companies located in tax havens.

Apple's tax bill may be a sign the ATO shares the concerns of cash-strapped European governments over the complex tax schemes employed by technology multinationals.

The French government this week demanded $US252 million ($244.2 million) in back taxes from Amazon, adding to pressure on the online retailer to justify its network of subsidiaries in Europe, including in tax haven Luxembourg.